Author Topic: Did every1 see Mars last night? (Read 93 times)

JTSimon · « **on:** July 17, 2003, 07:23:24 PM »

Did every1 see Mars last night?

I don't know if Mars will still be visible tonite...but look near the moon and you will see a bright red dot.

My first time seeing Mars before

coo

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For the rest of North America, Mars and the Moon will appear simply to pass very close to one another - an event called a conjunction. For most, this will happen in darkness or during morning twilight.

The Moon eclipses Mars a couple of times each year, on average. What makes this occultation worth watching is that it will take place in darkness, with Mars unusually radiant.

The unusual proximity of Mars makes it particularly visible at the moment. Its brightness will peak towards the end of next month, when it will come within 55 million kilometres of Earth. During August, the red planet will outshine even Jupiter.